The Blade-Wielding Legend
Chapter 569 - 324: The Monster Alliance on the River

Chapter 569: Chapter 324: The Monster Alliance on the River

Rustling!

"Let the deceased pass, spirits do not disturb."

At sunset, Wang Daoxuan flung his arm, scattering paper money in all directions.

Behind him, the people of the Tian family, dressed in mourning attire, holding weeping sticks, and carrying sacrificial banners, walked intermittently amidst the somber wails of conch shell horns, gongs, and drums.

At every corner, they would burn incense and scatter money, and fold "fire paper" into the shape of the character "Wang," pressing it into the ground with stones.

On the coffin behind them, a small child sat unperturbed, his face painted and coiffed with a top-bun, looking around without any fear.

Funeral customs varied across Divine State.

In some regions, the coffin was referred to as "the dragon," and the wooden racks and bars used for carrying it were called "dragon bars." During the funeral procession, these could affect the home’s fengshui, hence the custom of "suppressing the dragon."

The "suppressing the dragon" rituals differed from place to place.

This custom belonged to Landlord Tian’s ancestral home, where children sat atop the coffin, and women also sat on the wooden bars at either side.

Of course, whether children or women, all were professionals accustomed to funeral services and unafraid of any taboos.

Wang Daoxuan was carefree about it.

Having overseen various ceremonies for both joyous and somber occasions, he had seen all kinds of customs. It all depended on the preferences of the host family, so long as no taboo was violated, and no malevolent spirits or calamities were provoked.

The reason he was specifically invited had to do with the body itself.

A decapitated corpse, an unjust death, a spirit attempting to return to life, a Xuanmen Practitioner—if any of these were involved, there could be problems, let alone all four.

Even though Han Balin’s soul had scattered to the winds, there was no guarantee that his corpse wouldn’t wreak havoc, so Wang Daoxuan decided to opt for cre(ma)tion with willow branches, leaving only ashes behind, and then perform a ritual to dispel any disaster and calamity before he could be at ease.

In this region, it was acceptable to conduct funeral affairs at any time other than high noon, hence, they set out at dusk.

The affair was also somewhat low-key, with only the Tian family involved.

After all, the identity of the deceased buried was somewhat special.

After all the hustle, upon returning to Han Yang, it was already deep into the night.

Now that the Tian family’s peril had passed, they no longer needed to cram into the Ezhou guest house and all had returned to the Tian family’s large residence in Han Yang City.

The Tian estate was grandly furnished with numerous courtyards, and now with the three families living there, it wasn’t crowded at all.

Li Yan and his group also stayed there.

After all, the Chamber of Commerce was busy with many prying eyes, which was somewhat inconvenient.

Upon their return, naturally, there was no missing out on a funeral banquet.

Landlord Tian hired the best chefs from Wuchang City and simply prepared a few tables; there were no external guests, mainly to thank Li Yan and his group for their help.

"Young Hero Li, please."

Landlord Tian, having survived a great disaster that nearly obliterated his family, now saw his three brothers reconciled, and the quiet Tian estate had again become lively, a bitter experience followed by a sweet outcome.

He spared no words, toasting continuously, already somewhat intoxicated.

"Drink."

Li Yan was also straightforward and toasted along.

He knew that Landlord Tian simply wanted to have a good, solid drink.

Meanwhile, at another table, the younger members of the Tian family were stealthily glancing at the corner, where Lv San and Wu Ba had taken up a table to themselves.

It was mainly for fear that Wu Ba might suddenly rampage.

To their amazement, Wu Ba ate and drank heartily, emptying an entire table of food as if he had a bottomless stomach.

Since the Tian family was well-off, course after course of sumptuous dishes kept coming, until Wu Ba held his belly, flopped to the ground giggling foolishly, and then stopped. He then muttered to Lv San, exchanging whispers in their tribal language.

After a while, Landlord Tian became unconscious from too much drinking, and the banquet concluded, with everyone dispersing.

The largest courtyard was allocated to Li Yan and his companions.

Once back in the courtyard, Wu Ba went straight into Lv San’s room and rolled into a corner to sleep, snoring as loudly as an old bear.

Not only was Li Yan still wary of Wu Ba, but Wu Ba was likewise cautious.

After all, coming from the wilds, everything he encountered was beyond his understanding, and he remained vigilant, trusting only Lv San.

Given his size, he couldn’t fit in a bed and wasn’t accustomed to it, always preferring to roll up and sleep on the ground.

This action, however, left the little white fox quite dissatisfied, showing teeth in annoyance before bounding to the rooftop to prostrate under the moon.

As for the rats, they took it in stride.

Just like the Wild Man, they preferred to eat and sleep without moving much.

Sha Lifei could only shake his head, saying nothing, retreating to the room with Li Yan and the others, lighting candles to discuss their next plan.

"The matter with the Tian family is settled."

Li Yan took a sip of tea, massaging his forehead, "Ezhou is still a bit unstable right now, we sold the crystal egg for one hundred thousand taels, and with the Tian family’s compensation, we have more than enough money to build the tower on the mountain."

"There’s a war going in Yunyang, and war is merciless. We best avoid getting involved; Wuchang is stable for the time being, so let’s just rest here for a while."

"During this time, I need to go to the Chaotic Burial Mound at night to practice and try to meet the requirements for building the tower by autumn, then we can head up Wudang Mountain."

"By then the results of the war to the Southwest should be out, and after building the tower, we’ll head into Sichuan to check out the organization Wu Qu mentioned in Fengdu."

"That sounds good."

Sha Lifei nodded, "People from the Prince Mansion came again yesterday urging us that after May 15th, they want Lv San and his brothers to share their knowledge with the Tuo Master, I’ll accompany them."

"Also, we need to practice with the new weaponry. Whenever we can, let’s go to the mountains outside the city to practice..."

After some discussion, they had settled on a plan.

...

The next day was the fifteenth of May.

The Dragon Boat competition had passed, but the affairs in Wuchang weren’t yet concluded; a ritual was needed to thoroughly stabilize the fengshui.

Along the shores of the Yangtze River, temples and Taoist Temples, especially those dedicated to the Water God, had to bring out the Divine Statues and hold rituals to parade them.